Pink Panther
NEW WORLD
“… Why would you tell me to come to a place like this?”
Ai Yashajin arrived in Osaka the following Saturday. Clothed in a black outfit like what she had on when we first met, a woman in a black suit is with her.
I asked them to meet me in front of Tennouji Zoo. With good view of Tsutenkaku Tower: it’s one of Osaka’s signature landmarks.
Dressed in casual jeans and a T-shirt, I smirk and say, “I thought a trip to the zoo might help us get to know each other better!”
“Akira. Notify the police.”
“At once.”
The woman behind her–––the same woman in black who talked to me when I first went to Ai’s manor, pulls out her smartphone and starts dialing without a second thought.
“K-Kidding! Just joking! We’re going to play Shogi, what else?”
“I’d prefer it if the only joke you made was your face.”
“You know how players usually open the Bishop Path in the first few turns? Let’s open the path to our hearts.”
“Gross.”
“……”
A few harsh words and my spirit is close to breaking.
I’m so used to being around friendly grade schoolers like my apprentice and her friends these days that dealing with a cold, prickly one like her really hurts.
Then again, I’m used to Big Sis walking all over me. This is nothing new.
“Well? Are we supposed to play Shogi at the zoo? Are we going to use the animals as pieces?”
“We’re not here for the zoo … But we’ll probably see some very unusual creatures.”
“Meaning?”
I turn my back on Ai’s irritated, sharp-tongued question while putting on sunglasses and a baseball cap. “Follow me,” I say and start walking.
“Where are we going? The zoo entrance is over there.”
“Forget about the zoo and keep up.”
Facing away from the zoo, I walk toward Tsutenkaku Tower.
The woman in a black suit (named Akira, I think) must’ve figured out where we’re heading because she anxiously says, “Oi, Sensei. Don’t tell me ……”
“We’re here.”
It’s a long tunnel beneath elevated train tracks. I come to a stop right in front of the dim arcade’s entrance.
“Jyan Jyan Alley.” I’m pretty sure it has an actual name but I don’t know what it is.
“… Huh? What is this dirty street?”
“This area is known as New World. Think of it as Osaka’s deepest underground.”
With Tsutenkaku Tower standing right overhead, this used to be Osaka’s greatest Shogi hotspot.
“Up until about ten years ago, Kansai’s …… no, western Japan’s largest Shogi classroom was beneath the tower. The best unregistered players from all over the country came here every day to sharpen their skills.”
“In this tiny little dump?”
“It’s smaller than it was, but the name is still here. Follow me.”
We head into the alleyway. It’s pretty dark, even in the afternoon. Ai hesitates for a moment but eventually comes inside with Akira protecting her every step of the way.
Although the area is trying to change its vulgar image to something a bit more tourist friendly, there are plenty of drunk people mixed in with the visitors even on Saturday afternoon. Most of the establishments around here are bars. There are kebab places and restaurants where you can grill meat right at the table too. And right next to a shady-looking place with live softshell turtles, in a street-side aquarium, is what we came here for.
“…… This place’ll work.”
I stop outside of a Shogi parlor called Twin Kings Club. Since the outer wall is all glass, you can watch the matches from outside the building. There are a surprising number of people inside.
Ai looks a little uncomfortable, but I wave her up to the glass.
“Take a look. This is a lot more fun than a zoo, right?”
“It’s all just old people …”
She stands on her tiptoes, trying to get a better look at the matches on the other side of the glass. Seeing her focus so hard, her forehead and the tip of her nose pressing up against it, makes me smile. She may act all grown up, but she is still in elementary school.
“So? Think you can take them?”
“…… Humph!”
Watching the level of play on the other side of the glass, Ai flicks her hair over her shoulder and says with all the confidence in the world, “They’re all pushovers. You had me come all the way to Osaka for this? Well, I might as well beat a few of them before going home.”
“That’s the spirit.”
But I was smirking on the inside.
Careful not to let her in on that, there’s something I need to confirm before we go inside.
“Hey, you have any money on you?”
“An untraceable Black Card, yes.”
Actually using that would scare the crap out of me.
“…… Akira, was it? Do you have any paper bills?”
“Several have been prepared. The lord of the manor has instructed me not to be frugal with money. It’s at your disposal.”
“All right then. Please pay the entrance fee. That, and can I have a few 1,000-yen bills? Also, any old receipts would be great too.”
“The bills are no problem …… But, what are the receipts for?”
Rather than giving a direct answer, I pull some scotch tape and an empty cigarette box out of my pocket. Ai doesn’t hide a suspicious frown.
“You smoke? You’re underage.”
“Nah. We need it for this.”
I roll one of the bills I got from Akira into a thin cylinder and wrap it with a receipt, text on the inside, tape it all in place and it looks like an ordinary cigarette. I roll up four more and put all five into the empty box.
“That should do it. Take this.”
“I don’t get the point …… What am I supposed to do?”
“You’re going to issue shinken.”
“Shin …… ken?”
“Basically, you’ll be betting on Shogi matches. 1,000 yen is the buy-in. Lose and that’s what you pay. The strongest players around here won’t even sit down unless there’s money on the table.”
That’s the reason all these Shogi parlors started popping up in Jyan Jyan Alley.
Shinken players in the underground scene all over the country came here looking for money and a good battle.
Laws have really clamped down on betting in recent years, but there was a time when these shinken players made more money than pros. Heck, it’s said that millions of yen could change hands in a single match. 1,000 yen would seem like time-killing pocket change to the people back then.
But now making a sizable bet would get the police involved and they’d shut down the whole establishment. That’s why they jump through these hoops to disguise the money.
“Show the cigarette box to issue a shinken match. Win and you’ll get a roll. Lose, and you give one to your opponent. Keep playing until that box is empty.”
“And what if it gets full?”
“Then I have nothing to teach you. I’ll sign you up to take the Practice League test tonight.”
“Ohhh? Then you’ll be out of work in a few hours.”
Ai snatches the cigarette box from my hand and follows Akira inside.
I squeeze the brim of my baseball hat and put it down over my eyes to hide my face before joining them.
FIRST SHINKEN MATCH
Just as I expected, the smell of cigarettes and alcohols was practically ingrained inside Twin Kings Club.
“… This is worse than middle-of-nowhere Mahjong parlors,” Akira says under her breath.
I’ve never been that far into the outskirts, but I bet she’s right. This is pretty bad, even for Shogi parlors.
Dirty words are flying back and forth inside and the staff really doesn’t care that people spill ramen or their cheap sake over the boards. Or when thoughtless people put out their cigarettes on the piece stands.
Akira handed a crisp bill to the old man sitting behind the counter.
“Sir. One child and two adults, please.”
“……”
The old man took the entrance fee, but didn’t smile back, let alone say “thank you.” The look in his eye makes it crystal clear that he thinks women and children just get in the way.
“…… What do I do now?”
“Normally, you’d get a Match Card about now, but ……”
People here assigned themselves a rank. With no Match Cards to speak of, it looks like the system here is completely up to the customers.
This Shogi parlor caters exclusively to shinken players.
“Well, not much of a problem, is it? Since this place is full of pushovers, you can beat everyone here, right?”
“Akira and I will pretend to play Shogi over there while we keep an eye on you. Go find someone that looks bored toward the back and challenge them to a shinken match.”
“… Fine.”
Looking like she’s about to take her first steps into a haunted house, Ai does as she was told and walks to the back of the Shogi parlor.
Plenty of people are in the middle of a match, but there was one person without an opponent and looking very bored.
Leopard pattern clothes. A head of hair like broccoli. And eyes twinkling behind golden-framed colorfully-tinted sunglasses that sparkle like a wild animal. A leopard, in the flesh. No, a panther. What path in life would lead someone to turn out like that?
However, there was something bothering me a heck of a lot more–––.
“Oi, Sensei. Is that …… an old lady? Or perhaps …… an old man?”
“…… A little of both, probably.”
Those are women’s clothes. The famous Osakan leopard print dress. But this is Osaka, and the possibility it’s a man wearing a leopard-skin dress with permed hair can’t be ignored. This is New World. Seeing people from all walks of life isn’t unusual down here.
“There’s a possibility it’s a creature that escaped from the Tennouji Zoo …… But it’s highly unlikely that an elderly woman would come to a Shogi parlor. I say it’s a male.”
“But don’t forget, old ladies tend to go inside men’s restrooms quite a bit in Osaka.”
While she and I were having one of the most pointless conversations ever, Ai holds up the cigarette box right at Panther’s eye level.
“Care to play without a handicap?”
“… Have a seat.” A voice that is husky from beer and cigarettes. The gender is still a mystery. After a rougher-than-necessary Pawn flip, Panther is on offense. The battle began as soon as Ai pressed the switch on the chess clock.
Then, Panther makes a surprising move right off the bat.
As soon as both of them opened their Bishop path, “Gah, oopsy.”
Panther did it.
The practically unbelievable–––8 Six Pawn!
“?! …… Ummm?”
Ai’s eyes go wide as her face gets drawn into the board like a magnet.
I don’t blame her.
Advancing the Pawn in front of the Bishop is one of the worst moves you can make. For someone that’s learned the “correct” way like Ai, this probably doesn’t feel like Shogi anymore.
I, however, have seen this before.
“Kakutou fu, huh ……”
“And what is that?”
I couldn’t help but grin as Akira took off her sunglasses to give me an inquisitive glare.
Quickly wiping it off my face, I lower my voice and give her some details.
“It’s a Ranging Rook style sneak attack. The full name is kakutou fu senpo, Bishop-head Pawn Strategy.”
“Tofu?”
“Like I said, Bishop-head – Pawn. Panther moved the Pawn in front of the Bishop forward, yes? It’s a move people normally wouldn’t think to make.”
Bishops have a round head–––basically, it’s that Pawn’s job to protect the Bishop since it can’t move straight forward. Moving it out of place for no reason exposes that weakness to the opponent.
If this happened over the Internet, the other player would think it was a miss click. That’s how bad it is.
“My, my …… That was stupid. Guess there’s nothing to do now but exchange Bishops before it’s too late.”
Panther sticks a finger through that overgrown broccoli head of hair, scratching while bemoaning the mistake and sends the Bishop forward.
“……”
Ai looks suspicious but takes said Bishop to complete the exchange.
Akira turns to me with a worried look in her eyes and asks, “What’s happening? Is my lady in a favorable position?”
“She is. In a regular match, anyway.”
“Meaning?”
“This is where kakutou fu gets interesting.”
Ai keeps going like normal. In other words, I don’t think she realizes what her opponent’s miss click means.
All the while, Panther keeps saying things like, “Oh my, young’en, have you no mercy?” and “Not again! All these little mistakes are piling up like hot peppers,” and moving pieces around as if running away from Ai’s advances.
But that led to a strange shift on the board.
I’m not exactly sure when, but Panther is suddenly on the offensive after opening with a bad move and constantly defending for so long.
The tides have turned.
“Huh ……?”
The board was already favoring Panther by the time Ai noticed something wasn’t right.
“?! What, why?! What’s going on here ……?!”
If she can steady herself, hunker down and focus on the battle, there’s still a chance she could come back.
But Panther didn’t give her that chance. –––Panther is good!
“Can’t tell if it’s an old man or woman by looking, but that playing style is reckless. Like a wild animal really ……!”
“What, what even is that?! What has …… that freak done to my lady?!”
“It’s a ploy.”
“Ploy …… meaning?”
“To be blunt, pulling a fast one on your opponent.”
“Does that violate the rules? If so, I know the perfect place to mount a panther head.”
“It’s not, it’s not! Ploys don’t violate any rules whatsoever!”
I start to panic as Akira reaches for something at her waist and move to stop her. As for what’s hidden beneath her suit, I don’t know and I don’t want to know.
“… In that case, aren’t there better names for this technique than a ploy?”
“You have a very good point there. But then again, they didn’t get that name because of the user’s intent—more so how the victim feels when they fall for it … Well, they don’t work on pros. If they did, that person has no right to call themselves a pro.”
And Ai Yashajin still isn’t a pro.
PERFECT SHOGI
In the end, Panther ended up beating Ai to a pulp five times in a row before she came back to us with the empty cigarette box tightly clenched in her fist. She stomped the ground in frustration the moment we left the Shogi parlor.
“How?! Everyone playing at the front were total pushovers ……!”
“Of course they were. They’re meant to draw in customers.”
“… How do you mean?”
“Places right on the road like this have weaker players sit at the front on purpose.”
“Why do that?! It just makes the place look bad!”
“What is the best moment in all of Shogi?”
“Huh? When you win, isn’t that obvious?”
Ai’s answer makes me grin.
I don’t know what I would’ve done if she said, “When locked in a close battle” or something studious like that just now. Probably just stared at her in disbelief. The two of us might have more in common than I thought.
“The best moment in Shogi is when you completely destroy your opponent. That’s true for the strongest pro all the way down to the weakest amateur. There’s nothing better than saying, ‘You could’ve had me here!’ during a review session after wiping the floor with some weakling. It’s the best feeling ever. That’s why everyone wants to feel that way. And that’s also why Shogi parlors like this one want lots of weak players to come.”
I point to a sign at the Shogi parlor’s entrance.
“It’s written right there in black and white: Unranked pay half price for service.”
“……”
“Seriously. It triples their profits.”
It’s the same thing my Master does it his own classroom: lose the first game against new customers on purpose to give them confidence. He even made it so that he only lost by one move.
The only one he completely flattened in their first match was Big Sis, and that was only because her talent caught him off guard. Apparently he once said, “I thought she was goin’ for the kill. Thought I had to end it before she got me.”
He was an A ranking 8-dan at the time, but a four-year-old girl spooked him. Ginko Sora was that girl. What a monster.
“In a place like New World where lots of shinken players gather to beat up on weak players for pocket change, Shogi parlors employ lots of strategies to draw in the weaker ones that become their meal ticket.”
“… So, you’re saying I got suckered into it? Fooled by these …… people that hang around in this dirty place ……!”
Considering how much pride Lady Ai has, I’m sure it hurts, but five consecutive losses make her own weakness impossible to ignore.
She may be a bit cynical about it, but Ai is genuinely trying to learn from her failure.
The losses aren’t breaking her spirit, but rather lighting it on fire. That’s good. It means this girl is a competitor after all.
“Your Shogi knowledge is outstanding.”
Taking off my baseball cap disguise, I start talking to Ai while she shakes with anger.
“Very fluid, pristine Shogi. The way you learned how to play must’ve been effective. I can see those teachings in every move you make.”
“F-flattering me now will do nothing–––.”
“But that’s exactly why you fall into so many traps. You’re easy to trick. Go just a little off the beaten path and you’re not sure what to do next. Plus, you’re easily distracted by an opponent’s grumbling, provocations and empty threats off the board. Shogi skill isn’t the problem, it’s all in your head.”
“……!!”
She probably didn’t expect me to say that. Her shocked eyes are looking up at me.
“I’m not telling you to learn any ploys because they won’t work in the pro Shogi world. Falling for them once is fine, just as long as you learn from your mistakes and never fall for them again.”
The thing about ploys is that you get a huge advantage if they work, but get completely stonewalled if they don’t. They are an all-or-nothing kind of strategy. Basically, strategies that only work if your opponent makes a mistake. And those mistakes crack their spirit.
Ai’s talent is defensive.
Being able to absorb the opponent’s assault, bring it to an end and come back to win is considered by many Shogi pros to be the ideal playing style.
You must be perfect to win as a defensive player.
“That’s why I’m going to demand perfection from you, Ai. Perfect Shogi.”
“I have nothing to teach you about the basics. You can learn the standards on your own … But competitive tactics aren’t written in any book or match record. You can only learn them by playing against other people. That’s what I want you to get out of playing in the underground Shogi world.”
Wherever there’s light, there’s shadow. Wherever there is a public face, a world behind the scenes must exist.
Perfection can only be achieved by knowing both inside and out.
I’m going to show this young girl the dark side of society and Shogi. Rather than have her shine a theoretical beam of light on the board and search for truth in the game like with my apprentice, I’ll teach her the psychological side: the anxiety, worry and surprises that come with a live opponent.
I’ll teach her how to manipulate someone’s spirit with Shogi.
“If you do that–––no one will ever stand a chance against you.”
GRADE SCHOOLER PRACTICE GROUP AGAIN
“I’m hooome.”
I stopped by one of New World’s fried kebab places to pick up some food before going home. I was greeted by the excited voices of a few elementary school girls coming from the back of my apartment.
Mio’s head pops out of the tatami room as she calls out, “Ah! Kujuryu-sensei is back!”
The acting leader of their practice group, Mio Mizukoshi is in the fourth grade, like Ai. Also she’s my apprentice’s first Shogi friend: she’s a little ball of energy.
What’s more, the two are in the same class at school. It’s all thanks to Mio that Ai’s move from the north coast was so stress free, and she’s adjusted to Osaka so quickly. Such a good girl. Still she can’t correctly pronounce my name though.
“Grade Schooler Practice Group.”
It’s a practice group made up of Ai and her three closest Shogi friends.
It’s a simple gathering where the four of them come to this apartment to play Shogi two or three times a month. Unfortunately, neighbors started giving me strange looks and people say I have a Lolita complex (it’s worse on Internet chat rooms) because of these sessions. It hurts.
But I’m fine with it! I don’t care what they call me as long as my apprentice is improving!
The main thing is that all the girls here know that I’m not like that ……!
“Keeping your eyes on the board, everyone? I brought back a ton of kebabs, so dig in when you find a good stopping point–––.”
“Masta!”
Ahh, an angel♡
A golden, fluffy blur flies toward my legs as I lift the bag of kebabs out of the way.
Charlette Isoir, six years old now.
She’s a mind-blowingly cute little girl who goes to a school for French kids in Kyoto as well as a Shogi classroom over there.
She may be a little behind everyone else in terms of Shogi skill, but she’s a doll, tries really hard and is just so darn cute.
“Masta. Cha has a reqwest for Masta. Okay?”
“Ah! Charlette–––.”
“Wait, wait! We’re not done talking about it yet!”
Ai and Charlette’s guardian of sorts, Ayano Sadatou, comes barreling out of the room to chase down the angel.
Charlette is being surprisingly forward today. “Unf, ummf,” and making cute little noises as she tries to climb up my legs. Just what does she want to ask? She’s so cute I kinda want to grant her wish, no matter what it is.
Ai is trying to say something, but it looks like she can’t put it into words. The look on her face is really strange. Besides being puzzled, there are some shades of anger and irritation in there too.
I set the bag of kebabs on top of the shelf by the door and pick Charlette up, holding her so I can look at the golden-haired angel right in the eyes and ask.
“What is it, Charlette?”
“Um, you see? You see?”
She seems embarrassed yet excited at the same time, like she’s about to tell me a big secret. Then, she finally says it.
“You see, Cha? Can Cha …… be Masta’s apwentice?”
Say what?!
“Charlette …… you want to be my apprentice?”
“Yep!”
“And, you want to live with me?”
“Yep!!”
She nods really hard in my arms. That smile of hers is so cute I swear it could melt right off her face. Such a little angel ……
I want nothing more than to give her a big hug, yell, “I’ll make you the happiest girl on earth!!” and take her as my apprentice right here on the spot. However, I come to my senses in the nick of time. Whew, that was close ……
Both she and Ayano go to Kayaoku 7-dan’s classroom over in Kyoto.
It would make a lot more sense for her to be her apprentice instead–––.
“Ayano. What about Kayaoku-sensei ……?”
“For the most part, Master Kayaoku lets students do what they want.”
Like a machine, Ayano answers my question right away. She’s got a good head on her shoulders.
“She told us that she’d be happy to be our Master, but she’ll put in a good word for us if there’s a different professional we’d like to ask.”
“Well, that’s nice of her.”
“Very much so! I love my Master,” Ayano proudly declares with a look of love and admiration in her eyes. Just from that, I can tell Kayaoku-sensei is a very good teacher.
She’s also connected to my Shogi family tree, four generations to be exact. Currently a member of the Women’s League and the titleholder, she’s one of the best in Kyoto, and that’s saying something because many titleholders live there. She’s the leader of the pack, if you will. Then again, we have a women’s titleholder among us too (grimace).
But that’s not important.
“I …… can’t take you as my apprentice.”
“Wha?”
I guess she didn’t think I’d say no. Her whole body flinches and her eyes fly open in shock as if I had just slapped her across the face. And I could swear that a bit of relief passed across Ai’s worried eyes as she watched.
“Cha …… can’t to be Masta’s apwentice?”
“…… No. It’s not possible.”
“Why?! Why not?!”
She wraps her arms around my neck, clinging to me and asking “Why?!” again and again like a broken record. Those big blue eyes of hers are tearing up.
Her pure-hearted disappointment feels like a knife in my chest.
“You said yes to Ai, but why no to Cha?!”
“Charlette ……”
Ai heard everything, but the tiny voice that came out of her mouth sounded like she did something wrong.
Here’s the reason why Ai got a yes, but Charlette got a no.
Simply put: discrimination—the distinct difference in talent between them.
Charlette is still only six years old, but that’s not the issue. I mean, I was six when I moved in with Master to become his apprentice and Big Sis was four when she got accepted. Youth is often treated like potential in this world. It’s certainly a positive.
So, what doesn’t she have?
As of now: skill, the will to train and–––talent.
I came to the decision that Charlette doesn’t have enough.
It’s said that skill is everything in the Shogi world. Without skill, you can never succeed. I can’t drag someone down this path knowing they won’t have a chance to succeed and be happy.
Of course, everyone has a shot. I might just be blind to her true ability.
If I started training her now, she could go on to be a big success in the Women’s League. I can’t completely rule that out.
But that’s where I’m not good enough. Someone with Ai’s level of talent and determination might be able to improve just by being around me, but ……
No.
Even with Ai’s talent and determination, I’m still …… the truth is, I can’t help her improve on my own.
“She’s getting worse.” Big Sis’s words that night killed my confidence.
“…… I just can’t take you as an apprentice, Charlette.”
I repeat myself.
But if I leave Charlette like this, that innocent spirit of hers will be forever scarred. And it won’t just be Charlette, Ai’ll be cut pretty deep too. Who knows what effect that’ll have on her.
–––I’ve got to find a way to avoid that at the very least.
I need to turn Charlette’s request down and yet have her leave happy–––is there even a way to pull that off?!
I read the situation for just a few seconds worth of waiting time and come up with a move that just might work …
“I can’t take you as an apprentice. But–––.”
“Bwut ……?”
Charlette looks up at me with big, watery blue eyes that could burst at any moment as I set up to hit this problem right out of the park!
“I can’t take you as an apprentice, but …… I can take you as a bride!!”
Ai’s eyes go wide, her jaw falling halfway to the floor the instant those words come out of my mouth. For some reason, Mio and Ayano are turning pale.
Meanwhile, Charlette blinks those big eyes a few times and tilts her head.
“…… Bwide?”
“Yep. Bride. My bride.”
“Cha, can be Masta’s bride?”
“That you can!”
“Wha♡”
She’d been on the verge of tears just a second ago, but now she’s happily rubbing her cheek against my chest.
“You see? Bwide is much better than awpentice for Cha!”
“Isn’t it?! So much better?!”
“Pwomiss kiss! Mwahh♡”
“Hahaha! Such a precious bride I have. But remember, not till after you graduate high school, okay?”
I joke around with Charlette, responding in kind when I suddenly feel my apprentice’s eyes looking right at me as if to say, “What the hell does that mean?!”
Hey, I’m good at dealing with spoiled kids.
Have a look for yourself! Now bask in the Dragon King’s resourcefulness and all its glory!
“Master darabuchi! Lolita complex!! Loli King!!”
Huh? This is a disaster.
“Offering to marry a little girl that just started elementary school, what are you thinking?! Pervert!!”
“J-Just calm down, Ai!” She’s right! Spitting at the heavens will just get spit in your eye!!
Mio and Ayano rush in to restrain my first apprentice. How did it end up like this?
Then again …… since I was so quick to turn down Charlette, it’s going to be a lot harder to bring up Ai Yashajin.
What’s worse, judging by my apprentice’s reaction to this whole thing, she wouldn’t be open to the idea of me taking another apprentice at all …… Actually she might outright refuse (me taking a bride even more so).
It’s true that apart from being my apprentice, Ai lives with me. She’s in a position where any decision I make about the living situation also affects her. Thinking about it like that, taking an apprentice or a bride without getting her permission beforehand might be out of bounds, maybe even dangerous.
Well, it’s not like I’m taking Ai Yashajin as an apprentice anyway. She’s just a short-term student, so that’s fine …… right? Right?!
PINK PANTHER
With all that on my mind, Ai Yashajin’s next lesson at New World took place the following Saturday.
“Looks like that Panther …… hasn’t come in yet.”
We’re at the same place as last time, Twin Kings Club. The wild animal of a human being that beat Ai to a pulp using kakutou fu, wearing a leopard skin dress last time, isn’t around, and I tell you, this whole place feels different. Even in New World, you don’t come across someone with that kind of presence every day.
“So, what now? Should I play against you?”
Ai asks, but I shake my head no.
“Go issue a shinken match to someone that looks like they know what they’re doing. Someone in the back, you hear? Also, call me Sensei, got it? Sen-sei.”
Only newbies are up at the front of the Shogi parlor. Chances are that people sitting at the back without an opponent are so strong that no one wants to play them shinken style.
“Humph!” Ai mutters in distaste, but she does what she’s told and goes to find an opponent. After what happened last time, I’m sure she’s painfully aware of how good the people here really are.
Ai eventually found an old guy sitting in front of a Shogi board and reading a copy of Shogi Weekly Magazine.
She pulls out the empty chair and says, “Hey …… hey, mister?” Flipping her hair back over her shoulder, she leans in close to his ear and whispers, “Would you play with me?”
Wow, she could have worded that a little better …
“……”
The old guy peaks over the top of his magazine, slack jawed by the elementary school girl’s invitation. But once he saw the cigarette box next to the piece box and Ai lining up the pieces, he figured out it was a shinken invitation. He then folds up his magazine, plops it on the seat next to him and says with a smirk, “Should I leave out my Rook?”
“You must be joking.”
Not only did Ai immediately reject the old guy’s offer of a handicap, she picked up five of her own Pawns to do the Shogi equivalent of a coin flip to see who goes first.
“……!”
The old guy glares at her.
Flipping the Pawns is the upper player’s job. Basically, Ai just countered his I’m stronger than you taunt with the taunt of her own. An elementary school girl with guts like that? That’s talent in and of itself.
Once the pieces came down, Ai got the first move.
“When you’re ready.”
Ai didn’t give her opponent a chance to breathe before making the first move, confidently lifting her chin at the same time. She went with the Orthodox, opening the Bishop Path.
Now it’s the old guy’s turn.
“No crying when you lose now …… heh.”
His move was–––4 Four Pawn!